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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bulb — for light
  4. row — a line
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bulb — for light
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pop — music
  9. row — to paddle
  10. cue — for pool
  11. pound — a weight
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pop — soda
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cue — a signal
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pop — to visit
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com